Process of purifying water.



(No Model.)

Patented July I7, 1900; w. m. JEWELL.

PROCESS OF PUBIFYING WATER.

(Application filed my 15, 1891.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT l OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. JEWELL, or CHIGAGO, ILLII IoIs.

PROCESS or PURIFYING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of I ietters Patent No. 653,739, dated July 1?, 1960/ Application filed K9415, 1891. 1 Serial No. 892,917- llo specimens-l 112 all} whom it may concern: I

. Beit known that I, WILLIAM M. JEWELL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chiline A Bof cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have Invented a certain new and Improved Process of Purifying Water, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-- I Figure 1 represents a vertical section on I Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 is a top or plan -Vl6W.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved process of purifying waters by cagulating and removing-the impurities contained in them without the addition to thewaters of deleterious soluble reagents, the use of the latter being objectionable forthe reason that an excess of them may easily be added to the waters without physical detection,

thereby in most cases rendering them unfit for potable purposes. To this endmy invention consists in electrolyzing a solution of a suitable salt in which is immersed an anode composed of a substance adapted to be chemically acted upon by one or more of the constituents of the solution separated by the electrolytica'l decomposition to ultimately form a substantiallyinsoluble coagulant, introducing the freshly- 1 formed coagulant into the water tobe purified, and then filtering the water in the The electrolyte presence of such coagulant. is placed in a chamber separate from the conduit or chamber containing the water to be treated, but communicating therewith, the reaction between the products of the electrolytic action taking place in the chamber where they are produced, so that only the insoluble coagulant is introduced into the water to be purified, thus avoiding contamination.

More specifically, my. invention consists in forming hydrate of iron by electrolyzing a solution of sodiumphlorid or its equivalent in the presence of an iron anode, the immediate productsofthe electrolysis being per n'itted to react upon each other, and after "ward filtering thewater to be purified in the presence of the hydrate of iron. v v

. The accompanying drawings illustrate a form oi electrolytic apparatus well adapted to'carry'pnt my improved process so far as concerns the production of the coagulant and its. introduction into the water to' be purified;

but other suitable apparatus m'ay'be em ployed. Referring to the drawings fora description of the apparatus therein illustrated, C represents a cylinder, preferably of glass, which is securely held between two brass caps D E by means of rods F, suitable soft gaskets d e The cap D,.

its upper side, forming a through-passage in Fig. 1.

dome and the cylinder 0. V J indicates a vertical shaft which passes through the dome G into the cylinder 0, as shown in Fig. 1. gland I are provided at the top of the dome G around the shaft J. .A pulley K is provided at the top of 'the shaft J, whereby the. shaft may be rotated by any suitable gearing. The shaft J is supportedby'the pulley K, whichis either soldered, keyed, or screwed o n the upper end of said shaft-,the pulley resting upon the gland I. r v 3 Upon the lower'end of the shaft J are mount ed two vanes'j, which are keyed to said shaft.

When the cylinder 0 is filled with the proper solution to a point above the vanes j and the shaft J is rotated, the yanes will serve to thoroughly agitate the liquid in the cylinder.

L indicates a wire whichpasses through the shaft J, which is hollow, which wire is thorover the cylinder 0, as indicated by the arrow An opening 9 is provided'to allow communication between the interior of said A stufling-box H and 1 5- which thesolution may be introduced into V, the cylinder 0.. TheopeningSmaybeclosed by a plug or in any other suitable manner when not in use. The lower cap E is provided with two pa rs tooof lug's m, to which is secured a swinging yoke M by pins m. By this construction the yoke may swingto one side for purposes which,

will appear hereinafter. The cap- E' is-alsof;

provided at its center with a hole, through which a pieceof iron or steel may be inserted in such manner as t'oproject into the center of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. l. The yoke M is provided at its center with a hole adapted to receive a binding-screw N, which serves to bind the iron 0 against a suitable gasket and insulator Pto form a watertight contact, and theiron O is preferably provided with a collar at its base to better adapt it for such contact. sulated from the screw N by means of a plate Q, of gutta-percha or other suitable material,

as shown in Fig. 1, and a sheet of metal R, preferably of copper, is placed between the gutta-percha Q and the piece of iron 0, to which plate R'is connected a wire r. I prefer to use a copper plate It to form a contact with the piece of-iron O, as better contact is thereby secured; but the wire 1- may be secured directly to the iron 0, if desired.

In placing the iron 0 in position the yoke M is turned to one side and the iron 0 is inserted in the hole in the cap E. After the gaskets and insulatingplates have been placed in position the yoke is turned until the screw N is opposite the end of the plate Q', when by screwing the screw N against the plate Q the parts are held tightly in place. The lower cap E is also provided with a draincock (not shown) for emptying the cylinder Ow'hen desired.

In the treatment of water by my improved process the cylinder 0 would be filled to a point a little above the vanes j with a saturated solution of common salt, thus immersing thetwo electrodes 1 and O in the solution. The water to so treated is fed by suitable pipe connections through the passage in the dome G, and thus is made to pass directly over the solution inthe cylinder C, but is' prevented from mixing with it to'any great extent by the construction of the cap .D. A sufiicient amount of water, however, to till the cylinder 6 above the salt solution will pass into the cylinder through the opening g, and as the water to be filtered flows through the passage in the dome G a slight current will be caused to flow into and out of the cylinder C. The electrodes l and O are now connected by their wires L and r to the negative and positive poles, respectively, of any suitable electrical generator, and the well-known action of electrolysis will take place, the reaction being as follows: Sodium chlorid is decomposed by the action of the electric curhydrogen being liberated. As both the so dium' hydrate and the ferrous chlorid are The iron 0 is in-.

spongy flocculeut precipitate.

soluble in water, they will be thoroughly intermingled by the rotating vanes which are driven by any suitable motive power applied to the pulley K, as above described, the consequence being that the sodium hydrate will act upon'the ferrous chlorid, precipitating ferrous hydrate, Fe(IIO) sodium chlorid-being'also formed and remaining in solution, FeCl +2NaI-IO=2NaCl+Fe(IIO),. The sodium chlorid thus formed may be again decom posed, as before, in subsequent reactions,

and the ferrous hydrate, which is insoluble in water, will be precipitated as a. dark-green This precipitate, beinglighter than the solution, will rise, and by the action of the water flowing through the passage in the dome G it will'finally pass through the opening g and will mix with the current of impure water, when it will act, hereinhefore indicated, to precipitate the suspended impurities.

In the improved process herein described the only reagent introduced into the impure water is the insoluble ferrous hydrate, which can have no vitiating effect upon the water.

If, however, it happens that a small amount of sodium chlorid from the cylinder 0. should 4 pass into the. current flowing through the dome G, it' would have no bad effect uponthe water, as the quantity would 'bever'y small.

The impurities precipitated from the unfll-.

tered water by the ferrous hydrate are removed by the usual filtering apparatus.

I am aware that electricity has been used in various ways in connection with purifying waters; but in all cases that'I know of its action has been directlyupon the water to be purified instead of being used as an agent to produce a reagent designed to act upon the water. a w

The essential feature of my invention contoo sists in electrolyzing a suitable solution in s separate chamber in the presence of a substance capable of reacting with one or more of the separated constituents of the electrocomposition in order to form the desired coagulant.

That which I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A process of purifying water consisting in continuously decomposing a solution of a suitable salt. by electrolysis in a separate chamber, in the presence oi as substance capable of reacting with one or more of the separated constituents of the electrolyte to ultimately form a substantially-insoluble coagu.

lant, introducing the coagulant as formed into the water to be purified and filtering the water in the presence of said coagulant, sub

w electrolysis of a solution of a suitable salt in a separate chamber, introducing it as formed into the water to be purified, and then filtering the water, substantially as described.

3. A process of purifying water which consists in continuously producing an insoluble floccuient reagent by electrolysis of a solution of a suitable salt in a separate chamber,

then introducing such reagent as formed into the impure water, and then filtering'the water,

substantially as described.

4. Aprocess pf purifying water which consists in continuously decomposing a solution of a suitable salt by electrolysis in a separate chamber in the presence of a substance capable of combining with certain of the separated constituents of the electrolyte, thereby producing soluble'compounds which react/upon each other to form a substantially-insoluble purifying reagent and a soluble salt, introducing such reagent as formed into the water to be purified, and then filtering the Water,

substantially as described.

5. The process of purifying liquids, which consists in continuously forming ferrous hy drate, in a separate chamber, 'b.y;electrically decomposing a solution of sodium chlorid in the presence of an iron anode, afterward introducing the ferrous hydrate'as formed into the liquid to be purified, and filtering said liquid, substantially as described.

' 6. The process of purifying Water, which consists in continuously forming a suitable purifying reagent by electrolyzin'g a solution of-a suitable salt in whichis immersed an anode composed of ajsubstance adapted to combine with one or more of the constituents separated by the electrolytical decomposition, forming a new chemical combination from the soluble salts thus obtained, which combination constitutes an insoluble purifying reagent, afterward introducing tbe'reagent as formed into the water to be purified, and then filtering the liq uid,substantially as described;

- WILLIAM M. JEWELL Witnesses:

CHARLES LANE, IRA H. J E'WELL. 

